On Jan. 20, when a man riding a bicycle along the expressway was stopped by traffic police, he calmly explained that he was trying to get home before Spring Festival. Surprised, the traffic police informed him that he had been riding in the wrong direction.

The man works as a laborer and had spent all his money at a cybercafe. With no funds for a train ticket, he decided to ride his bike from Rizhao, Shandong province all the way to Qiqihar, Heilongjiang province. He had been asking for directions along the way, but evidently encountered some confused citizens. Eventually, he ended up in Wuhu, Anhui province after traveling for nearly a month.

After hearing his story, employees at a toll gate and some traffic police officers pitched in to buy the man a ticket home.